If your business involves packaging, then you are more than likely using a range of solutions to make this process as streamlined as possible. The right packaging solutions will ensure that your products reach your customers safely.
This goal is what drives many business owners to invest in a variety of different heat sealers as these nifty gadgets ensure that everything from food to medicinal products are packaged as safely as possible. With so many different heat sealers on the market, it’s easy to find the best one for your business needs.
Packaging Tips to Make Sealing Simpler
Heat sealers are simple enough to use, which adds to their popularity in all business sectors across Australia. If you’re using the smaller models in your small business, it’s essential to know exactly how they work, what you can use them for, and the best ways to maintain them.
This will ensure that your sealer works to its optimal capacity and that your products are secure. Our experts have devised a list of top tips to keep in mind if you’re sealing products for the first time.
1. The Product Must be Heat Seal Safe
Heat sealers are such wonderful gadgets that you will be tempted to use them on all kinds of products. However, the number one rule when using a heat sealer is to ensure that the items or components you’re placing in the bags are heat seal safe.
Since products will be exposed to a significant amount of heat, it is essential to ensure that they won’t melt or deteriorate during this process. This is especially important when you’re sealing products that people are going to consume, such as food or medicinal items. No matter what you’re sealing, ensure that as little of the actual product comes into contact with the heat source.
2. Follow the Prescribed Safety Precautions
Very few first-time users realise just how hot heat sealers actually get. This can result in burns, melted plastic and damaged products. Even the smaller, domestic sealers that you might use around the home to seal food before freezing can get hot enough to melt the plastic bags.
Larger commercial sealers get almost twice as hot and should always be handled with extreme care when they’re in use. With this in mind, you should always do a mini-training session with anyone who will be using the machine.
It’s key to know how hot your chosen model gets and the safest steps to follow to ensure a burn-free packaging process. The rule here should always be to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never look for shortcuts, as these can result in injury.
3. Use the Heating Timer Correctly
You may think that you know what you’re doing, especially if you’ve used a heat sealer before. However, when it comes to creating consistent, professional-looking packaging, you’ll need to use the heating timer. The timer ensures that the type of package you’re sealing heats up for the correct amount of time to avoid scorched plastic and burnt products. You’ll also want the heating to stick and not come loose because it wasn’t allowed enough time to set.
Most smaller models will switch their timer off after a short time. Commercial models may require that the timers be set manually. It’s a good idea to create a flow chart of the process that should be followed. Everyone involved in the packaging process should follow these steps to the letter, no matter how many times they’ve used the machine. This will ensure perfect packaging every time!
4. Always Use Your Heat Sealer Correctly
While the general concept of heat sealing is the same across the full range of models, it’s essential to read through your user manual before you use your particular model for the first time.
Simple steps that should be followed include the following:
- Ensure that the top heat sealer jaws are lined up with the plastic and the bottom jaws.
- Once the bag and product are aligned, push the upper jaw down onto the bottom jaw and wait for the package to seal. There will usually be a light that will switch off.
- If the bag doesn’t seal properly, it may be because the heat sensor is faulty, or the package wasn’t aligned correctly. Check for troubleshooting tips specific to your model.
5. Assess the Seal
Once the heating has been done, it could be that the seal isn’t complete. This can cause air to enter the bag and spoil the product, so, you will need to redo the seal. Opting to create a few extra seals will ensure that the items inside remain safe and fresh.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re selling dried fruit or custom jewellery, it makes good business sense to invest in a heat sealer. This will ensure that your products remain safe and fresh, no matter how far they’re being transported. Keep our tips in mind to ensure that you seal your items correctly. Secure packaging goes a long way toward keeping your customer satisfaction levels high and complaints low!
